A £25 million project to address mobile phone coverage in notorious 'notspots' in Scotland has been announced today.

The Scottish 4G Infill Programme will fund new telephone masts in locations with no existing 4G mobile coverage.

An initial 16 ‘notspot’ sites have been identified, including three in the south of Scotland, and about 60 to 70 areas will be targeted throughout the project.

The programme has been developed by Scottish Futures Trust on behalf of the Scottish Government.

After the successful bidder has been selected, SFT looks forward to working with them and the mobile network operators to identify as many 4G notspots that can be addressed within the programme’s budget.

The deployment of future proofed mast infrastructure will then act as the catalyst to deliver good quality 4G coverage to those areas for the benefit of the local communities, businesses and tourists.

An impression of what the Moorside development could look like. Credit: NuGen

The Mayor of Copeland says he has complete confidence that the Moorside nuclear project will go ahead, and leave a "lasting legacy" in west Cumbria.

Plans for a multi-billion-pound nuclear site have been thrown into doubt by the financial struggles of Toshiba, the Japanese company that owns NuGen, who are responsible for Moorside.

NuGen is now carrying out a strategic review, to determine the future of the nuclear development.

Mike Starkie said he had discussed the problems with NuGen's CEO Tom Samson today.

It is crucial to West Cumbria that this project goes ahead to ensure that we have jobs and prosperity secured for present and future generations, ensuring a lasting legacy.

We believe this is the best of UK sites for investment, and as the Centre of Nuclear Excellence, we are well rehearsed in dealing with large scale nuclear projects.

I have today (Wednesday) spoken with the CEO of NuGen, Tom Samson, and I have had a frank and honest discussion with him. I am reassured that the reasoning behind the strategic review is to ensure that the Moorside project is on the right track and the commitment to its delivery assured.